The Highland Falcon Thief
M. G. Leonard, Sam Sedgman, Elisa Paganelli, Jot Davies
Subjects
- Action Adventures - chills, thrills and plenty of spills
Winner of the Book of the Year, Children's Fiction at The British Book Awards, 2021 'An instant classic' David Walliams Adventures on Trains is a major mystery series from bestselling authors M.G. Leonard and Sam Sedgman. First stop is The Highland Falcon Thief, a breathless train journey full of deceptions, puzzles and clues to solve. Beautifully illustrated by Elisa Paganelli. Harrison Beck and his Uncle Nat are enjoying the final journey of the Highland Falcon, Britain's most famous steam train. But when a precious jewel goes missing, Harrison and his new friend Lenny find themselves at the centre of the investigation. Can they solve the mystery and catch the culprit before they reach the end fo the line? Hear whispers in the dining car, find notes in the library, and unknown passengers among the luggage as you help Harrison to solve the mystery aboard one of the world's grandest trains. Join Hal and Uncle Nat on the next stops in this thrilling series, Kidnap on the California Comet, Murder on the Safari Star and Danger at Dead Man's Pass. 'A chuffing triumph' – The Times, Children's Book of the Week 'Like Murder on the Orient Express but better . . . a terrific read!' – Frank Cottrell Boyce, author of Millions. 'A first-class book' – Telegraph
Reviews
I really enjoyed turning detective and how MG Leonard explained motives and alibis!
ehelm
Really enjoyed this book. A good mystery novel which has you guessing and pondering all the way through .
KShaer
Brilliant Book
Latte11
A great read that had all the ingredients for a thrilling mystery story - the fact it was set on a train really added to the atmosphere of the adventure.
katekhh
This book is a classic whodunit mystery on a train but told through the detective skills of a child. The Author mixes a love of mystery and trains. It is an interesting story and does keep you interested. The story follows Harrison Beck- Hal- who reluctantly goes on the final journey of the highland Falcon- a antique train that is being put into a museum. He is accompanied by his Uncle Nat who is a train journalist. The royal prince and princess as well as multiple members of high society join them but when some pricey jewellery goes missing a thief is on board the highland falcon. I would recommend this this for children over 9 who have a love of mystery or trains or even better both.
Xulizuzu1
After originally listening to this book a few months ago with my boys, I leaped at the chance to meet M G Leonard and we all greatly enjoyed her talk as well as helping to plot a murder mystery with her! I then spent the summer reading the rest of the series so far (the 6th arrives in the next few days) to my boys each night. The books are mysteries and we loved discussing and predicting at the end of each chapter. Hal was the boys favourite character and they now love to draw sketches like him. I had a soft spot for Uncle Nat, his love of trains and travel and his quirky habit of wearing 6 watches.
Mrs Abi
A really exciting young adventure book! Hal is a great character. A great book to read aloud super vocabulary and lots to talk about - a new baby, going on an adventure without Mum and Dad. I would recommend this book to read aloud to younger children and for older children to read and re-read my daughter is on a third read of this now. There are other books in the series too.
Gemma Pawson
Fun, easy read with detective theme aboard a train with lovely illustrations.
TP123
This book was recommended to me by pupils in P6. I enjoyed following the train ride across Britain, recognising some of the places mentioned. The detailed descriptions of different aspects of the train were also interesting to me. The story is a mystery which keeps you guessing through out, keeping the reader wanting more.
Miss_R_172
Lightweight adventure story, heavy on steam train detail which is unsurprising. This served well as a bedtime read and was quite a sweet detective story with some royalty thrown in! Probably good for 6-7 year olds (as a class reader)
leomuchoyandomucho
Great twist and turns and descriptions. Fun illustrations and I liked the way Hal draws to clam his mind! Glad it has others to follow.
Sreads
Great characters in an Agatha Christie style mystery. Perfect introduction to the genre for KS2 readers. I loved trying to spot the clues and solve the mystery myself!
Overwhelmedbyitall
This is a fast paced crime story set aboard a fictional royal train. The story moved along at a good pace and kept me intrigued until the end. This would appeal to readers who like crime stories, mysteries or stories about trains.
RozRob
Like a children's version of murder on the orient express.
Bwadey
Excellent
vmcnaughton
Fantastic! Could not rate this higher, the kids I shared it with were constantly clamoring for more. Some were writing lists of suspects and marking down clues as they went. Totally gripping for LKS2
PworkRbow
This book radiates with enthusiasm for steam railways and is educational too. But mainly it's a fantastic whodunnit, and as with all the classics of this genre the clues were always there but you get it wrong when you try to guess the culprit! Great characterisation - I'm so happy that this is going to be a series so we will get to know more about these characters. I was completely drawn into this book.
Jo Mason
This is an exciting, enjoyable adventure story with a compelling mystery and an engaging set of characters. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader engaged with a satisfying reveal at the end. I would definitely recommend this book to my Year 5 class and to other Key Stage 2 children who are becoming more confident independent readers.
MissBloomfield
A child friendly Agatha Christie type novel set in trains! A wonderful genre mix that was a joy to read!
Mrs Hunter
Loved it!
Sleepycat